Working from home has become more popular due to recent events around the world. Some companies are offering employees the opportunity to work from home, even after the pandemic.
There are pros and cons when working from home, and in this post, we are going through some things to keep your work as efficient as possible when working from home.
Have a schedule
Have a schedule that you follow. If your working day begins at 8, start it at 8. Don’t hit the snooze button one more time, just because nobody would know. Start the day when it’s supposed to, take breaks when supposed to, and call it a day when it is time.
Keeping a routine can help you maintain a better attitude towards your work. If you start an hour late and are supposed to work an hour later that day, it might demotivate you in the long run. Stay on your schedule and this way keep your productivity up.
Have dedicated space for working
Second, have a dedicated working space at your home. You don’t have to have a separate room for your work, but at least, try to have a dedicated desk for your work. This way it will be easier to keep your personal and work life apart from each other, even if you mostly spend your time at home.
If you do your work from a couch or kitchen table, even after the work is done it might not feel as relaxing, when you use the same space for both, work and free time. Having a whole room as a working room or office at your home can be even better.
It can remove any distractions that might be going on in the house and this way lets you focus more on your job. Keep your work productivity up by having a dedicated space for working.
Remember to have breaks
Having breaks is essential to maintaining high efficiency. You can have them scheduled for your day or you can keep them when you feel like doing so. When ever taking a break, don’t make it too short or too long. Somewhere between 5 to 15 minutes might be good. Longer than that, you might lose the workflow you have built up during the day.
A good way to refresh your thinking after a working session might be a good walk outdoors. Maybe you have a dog that requires going out, so you could get two birds with one stone. Fresh air can have a big impact on your work efficiency, so at least try it out.
Lunch break, of course, can be longer. Even if you are working from home and have your meals prepared, take your time to eat in peace. On the other hand, if you have to prepare your lunch at your lunch break as well, that might make it longer than necessary. This of course depends on the lunch you are making. Which leads us to the next part.
Prepare your lunch beforehand
Cooking your lunch during your lunch break can take a long time. Especially if you make something that requires more effort. You could manage to make a 15-minute meal every now and then, but if you wish to have something a little bit more special on your lunch, it might be a good idea to prepare it the night before.
You can either prepare your lunch or cook it all the way through. Depending on what you are making, try to make it so that the cooking part doesn’t take up too much of your lunch break time. After all, it is supposed to be a break, not another side job.
Another choice is to order take-away food, but doing this every day is not for everybody. It can get expensive, and some take-away foods are not as healthy as you could make at home.
Keep your working efficiency as high as possible, by preparing your lunch the night before. This way the cooking wont consume your energy and motivation too much in the middle of a working day.
Take care of yourself
Taking care of yourself is essential if you want to perform the best you can while working. By taking care of yourself, I mean by eating healthy and exercising. You don’t have to start being vegan and going to the gym 8 days a week, but having a walk outdoors every now and then can do wonders for your overall mood and performance.
The same applies to the food you eat. It is okay to order pizza sometimes, but eating that every day can affect your health and in that way have an impact on your work efficiency. Take care of yourself, so you can maintain your high efficiency even when working from home.
Final words
By following these things, you can keep up your work efficiency when working from home. Some of these might be a no-brainer for you, but hopefully you can get some value out of this list.
If your company has both options available, to work from home or to come to the office, even if working from home is your thing, it might be good to show up at the office every now and then. Seeing your co-workers and supervisors might be beneficial to you.
Have a nice day.